If the boot fits

Photo: Martha Williams

Starting a wine company isn’t the only thing the BIN 36 boys have been up to. After years of building restaurants around wine, the team has found a new source of inspiration: Italy. Their new trattoria A Mano (which translates from Italian as “by hand” and is situated directly below BIN 36) will milk the country for all it’s worth. The menu features a  range of Italian classics,  offering crudo and cured meats, Florentine steaks (pictured, foreground) and housemade pastas (such as farfalle with housemade guanciale, tomatoes and garlic, pictured background). Crucial to the operation is the gelato and sorbet bar, which will feature 18 flavors, all of them made in the restaurant. But these guys haven’t given up on wine altogether: The 150-bottle, 25-glass-strong list focuses on small producers and biodynamics; fittingly, Italy still dominates. For anything else, you’ll have to head upstairs. 335 N Dearborn St between Kinzie St and Wacker Dr (312-629-3500).